Letter 10049: Before my arrival, Sir, the people of Nicomedia had commenced to make certain additions to their old forum, in one...
To Trajan.
Before my arrival, Sir, the people of Nicomedia had commenced to make certain additions to their old forum, in one corner of which stands a very ancient shrine of the Great Mother, * which should either be restored or removed to another site, principally for this reason, that it is much less lofty than the new buildings, which are being run up to a good height. When I inquired whether the temple was protected by any legal enactments, I discovered that the form of dedication is different here from what it is with us in Rome. Consider therefore. Sir, whether you think that a temple can be removed without desecration when there has been no legal consecration of the site, for, if there are no religious objections, the removal would be a great convenience.
[Note: The Phrygian goddess Cybele.]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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